Trump's phone call with Raffensperger reportedly wasn't the only one he made in hopes of overturning Georgia vote
It turns out there was another call.
President Trump in December spoke with the investigations chief for the Georgia Secretary of State's office — days before he had a similar conversation with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger himself — about finding votes in Georgia that would swing the state's presidential electors toward him, The Washington Post and CBS News report. The Raffensberger call, which was recorded by the secretary of state, quickly gained notoriety, with Trump garnering criticism for his fruitless attempts to convince Raffensperger to overturn Georgia's presidential election results.
The earlier call with the election official, whose name is being withheld by the Post because of safety considerations, appears to have a lot of overlap with its successor. Trump reportedly telling the official they would be a "national hero" if they found evidence of fraud, for instance, echoed his pleas to Raffensperger. Still, the context was slightly different since the official was leading an ongoing inquiry into allegations of voter fraud in Cobb County (no evidence was found). Therefore, some legal experts believe the conversation could carry criminal implications for Trump. "Oh my god, of course that's obstruction — any way you cut it," Nick Akerman, a former federal prosecutor in New York and member of the Watergate prosecution team, told the Post.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Akerman said he'd be "shocked" if Trump didn't commit a crime, noting that he took the time to identify the investigator, obtain a phone number, and call.
Others weren't so sure, including Robert James, a former prosecutor in Georgia's DeKalb County, who told the Post that without audio of the call it's too difficult to tell what tone Trump used or whether his intentions were clear. Read more at The Washington Post.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Venezuela’s Trump-shaped power vacuumIN THE SPOTLIGHT The American abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has thrust South America’s biggest oil-producing state into uncharted geopolitical waters
-
Most data centers are being built in the wrong climateThe explainer Data centers require substantial water and energy. But certain locations are more strained than others, mainly due to rising temperatures.
-
‘Maps are the ideal metaphor for our models of what the world might be’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Iran’s government rocked by protestsSpeed Read The death toll from protests sparked by the collapse of Iran’s currency has reached at least 19
-
Israel approves new West Bank settlementsSpeed Read The ‘Israeli onslaught has all but vanquished a free Palestinian existence in the West Bank’
-
US offers Ukraine NATO-like security pact, with caveatsSpeed Read The Trump administration has offered Ukraine security guarantees similar to those it would receive from NATO
-
Hong Kong court convicts democracy advocate LaiSpeed Read Former Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai was convicted in a landmark national security trial
-
Australia weighs new gun laws after antisemitic attackSpeed Read A father and son opened fire on Jewish families at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, killing at least 15
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Benin thwarts coup attemptSpeed Read President Patrice Talon condemned an attempted coup that was foiled by the West African country’s army
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
